Coin-operated box.



3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lI/'Il IIIIIIIIIIILPlL" 3 llrssuunsnllllHlMnHHll HUIIIUIIHHHH Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

H. S. MILLS.

GOIN OPBRATED BOX. APPLIUATION FILED ooT.9.1oa.

VVE/V703 SM 7255/27 lLLs. MW@ Sm,

H. S. MILLS.

GOIN OPERATBD BOX.

APPLIGATXON FILED 00T. 9,1903.

' 918,885. Patented Apr. 2o, `1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTYS.

H. S. MILLS.

com UPERATED B0X.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.D,1908. 91 8,8851l Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNIIIED sTAIns PATENT OFFIOE.

HERBERT s. AMILLS, or OIIIOAGO, ILLINOIS. i

speeincation of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

. 4 1 l Application led October 9. 1968. lSea1No.456,939.

To 'all whom it *mm concern:

it known t'hfi` l. HERBERT S. MILLS,44 o citizen ofwtihe `United States, residing -r-.t Ghlcngo, 'inthe"count}v of (look ond'State of "Il'lnl'o'is,here'inventedn nen-Y nnd useful im prove-ment in'CoiIeOperuted Boxes, of 'which thefollon-'ingfise-speciiicotion.

."gTheobject of my invention is to provide n.

construction ofiboir, which l have more por- 'ticularly-dey'isedfor niiixing it. to the'bec i of e'theater-seait, to hold n package or packe. es

'or candy, chocolates, or the like; centaine In the -box under confinement relen-snhleby the .ise'rtion'therein of :L coin of: proper den'onli- ,nation enabling-the box-cover to 4be .unlockedl to permit withdrawal O'f the contents.

Iirthe' accompanying drawings, Figure 1- ahowsllnyiniprov'ed box by e, View in front. elevation in its;l locked condition with parts of the mechanism inside it represented by dotted lines; Fig.' 2 shows `the seme by av ViewI in end elevation; Fig. 3 is a section on llirie, Fig'. 7' Fig, 4f is e View like that 'presented in rei'sedto AOpenthe box and the mechanism',

iufit broughtt-O the condition it is caused to assume. bythe unlocking Operation, and also allowing the coin-releasing key in Jerspecti've nefthe key-wey in the box; *i `5 is n. similrriew showing the parts Of tie mechnism 11s-they appear under the section of the inserted for releasing the coin, and Fiffs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 ere sections taken, respectively. on lines 6, 7, 8 and 9 Fie'. 5.

'The box 4l() shown, which .is preferably formed of ine-tsl, is of proper size :rnd1 shape tohold an ordinary hex Ol' enndr, chocolates O r bonbons,indicated :It 11 (Figs. Zendi nndfseating against :1 raising-spring; 12 on the bott-oni inside the. box, on the heelof which is fastened @worden block i3 haring o concave fece to conform to and it against the.

the cover vfrom neer its. rear e ge with the 'block 13 in n recess 20 forxned thereon, als

Plig. '3, but showing the cover 19 connects' most clearly represented in Figs. lv und c, this spring operating to mise the cover when the hook-shaped tongue 21 dependingr from nenrits free edge is released from the coin operated locking 'mechanism hereinafter described.

The front Wall of the box is formed Oi an outer plete 22 and an inner plate 23 spaced apart to provide between them e space 24 for the operating mechanism to workin. The plates contain two open-ings 26 und '27 (Fig. 1)`in,vertical aline-nient with euch other 'nIidw :1y between the ends of the box, through which t-O nani ulnte screws, indicated nt 28, passed througn the bok-back into the block 1.3 to fasten the box thereon. Between 'these two plates is formed n coin-chute 2U leerling frosn n coin-insertion Opening 3U iu the plete 22 near its upper edge to u recess or Opening 3] extending Int-O itl from its lower edge. The outer plo-te also contains, for th'e purpose hereinafter described, a'longitudinnl slot 32 near its lower right-hand comer; und near the opposite end Oi" the box n hole, 33 is formed through both plates, to receive u. stud '34. This is n circumferentially grooved sind on the hack of @shield-plate 35 provided with u. base-Him e' 36 to projectundementh the bottoni of tl 1e boo:` and having formed on its inner fece a boss' 37 conforming to und iitt in; in the recess Slend of the same thickness as the. Out-er plate 22 to extend iiush with its inner surface.

A s )ring-pressed catch-lever 3S is fulcrume between its endson the plete to work in a.A recess 39 in its hack surface n nd extend with its lower end into coincidence with the recess 31 and with its upper recessed end adjacent to an opening 40 orined between the upperfedges of the tuo lntes 22 and 25' to receive the tongue 2l for its rciensnhle engagement with the Catch 38 for locking the cover in its boinc-losing position'. pair ol' spring-pressed'tumblers 41 ond 42 .are also pivoted to the plate 22I to work within its recess 39 and extend their free ends o pos ingly. Vndjiicerlt so'that they nornnzill;7 occupy the. relative iositwn'fs represented .xn 3 and 4 where- Inthey prolectwithin the groove Of the stud 3ft-to retain it` against withdrawal from stud hole and thus lock the shield-plete against removal. Each tumbler contains in its free end an arc-shaped recess 43 of a size to correspond with the diameter of the stud 34 when the tumbfers are turned to the relative to 'the stud-receiving ho e 33,

positions represented in Fig. 5, wherein the recesses in the ends embrace'th'e stud in a manner to permit its free Withdrawal through the hole 33. The recesses 43 in the free ends 5 of the tumblers are so arranged as to be, in the normal relative positions of they latter, out of registration with each other, thereby to adapt th mto 'be turned to the unlocking ,position of lfig. 5 throu the medium of a particular key 44 insertib e into a key-way 45 cess y39 to engage its offset end 46 succes,L

sively with the upper and lower tumbler near their free ends in the. key-path. A spring-retracted plunger 47 works in the- 53 pivotally supported in a recess 54 formed?4 in thc inner face of the late 22. i'

The arrangement oft e pawl andjratch'et is such as to llock the plunger in any position in its movements. against retraction by the spring 48 until a no tch 52 registers with the 'pawl to free it, thereby ncessitating a com plete stroke ofthe plunger for opening the ox by the following-described o eration: The parts of the mechanism, with t e box 1Q 4closed and containing a box 1l of candy, or the like, normally' occupy .the relative positions reiresented in'Fios. V1 and 3, wherein. the hoo I 21 is enga e by the catch 38 to lock the' cover 17 an confine the package 11 under com )ression against the spring 1`2. To o en the t ie o cning 30 to roll throughthe chute 29 (whic'li is a recess in the inner face of the plate 22) and lodge' in the position represented in Fig. 3 between the lower end or tail ofthe catcli-leverBS and the plunger 47. By then moving inwardly the plunger, at the knob 49, it encounters the coin 1n its path and moves it into re istrationwith the closedI recess 31 against t e catch-lever, thereby turning the latter to disengage it from the tongue 21 and release the cover 17 to permit the spring 19, supplemented bythe'spi'ing 13, to raise it. The spring 12 prot-rudes out of the box 10 the top-portion of the candy-box to'render it conveniently accessible for withdrawal. This operation brin i the pai-ts to the relative positions in whic i Fig. 4 represents them, wherein the plunder has made only a art of its inward strolke, being obsti'ucte against fuitheij movementin' that direction by the head-portion of the catch 38 encountering the wall of the recess 39; and 65 the parts are retained in Vthat condition, by

ormed in the plate 22 and leading to the respace between the plates 22, 23 with relation ox l1() a coin 55 is inserted into an inner and an outer p V the engagement between the paw] and ratchet,

from -tli'e position represented in Fig. 4, 70

wherein their inner, ends extend into the roove in the stud 34 to obstruct its withrawal, to that re resented in Fig. 5, wherein' the tumblers are isengaged from the stud to permit, by its withdrawal through the hole I5 33, removal of the shield-'plate 354:0 expose' and permit access to the coin for taking. it out. YV ith the coin taken out the operator may complete the inward movement of the plunger,.at the end 'ofwhich the pawl enters the outermost notchr52 and frees the plunger to permit retraction thereof by the spring 48, in which .movement of thel plunger' the ratchet rides past the pawl. i The .box is then in condition, after againiilling it, to be -85 locked by closing the cover to engage its tongue 21v with the catch 38,' then restored by its contrdllin'g spring tothe normal position. What I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent isf- Y l 1. The combination of a box, for the purpose set forth, provided witha cover car. `ng a lockin -tongue, aspring-pressed catc in the box or en aging said tongue, a plunger movable in the oxl'and rovided with means -for locking `it between t e ends of'its mov ment, a coin-chute leading from a coin-insertion opening in the box-I to, a point of lodgment therein for the coin betweeny the adjacent ends of the catch and plunger, an opening in the box at said pointf, a shieldlate covering said opening and provided wit l an inwardly projecting locking-stud and springpressed ivotal tumblers normally engraving said stu at their free endsto obstruct with- 10'5.

drawal of the shield-plate, and a keyfinsertion opening in the box with which said free ends register. v

2. The combination ofa box, for the purpose set forth, provided with a cover carrying l l0 a locking-tongue and having an inner andan outer plate forming its frontwall and a space between them for coin-operatedf'mechanism,

a spring pressed catch for engaging `said tongue, a plunger provided with means for locking it between the ends of its movement, a coin-insertion opening and a recess Ain the outer plate with a coinfliute between them,V a l stud o eniiig extending throu h both plates, a s iield-plate fittin in an removably covering said recess ah provided on its inner face with a stud tq,project throuvh said opening therefor into said space, anl keyoperated tumblers in said space norma'lh1 engagin said stud. A 125 'lie combinationot a box, for the pur-l pose set forth, provided with a spring-raised cover carrying a lockingtongue and having ate forming its front wall and a space between them for coinop 130 erated mechensm, n spring in the bottom of the box, u spring-pressed catch for engaging said tongue, e sprmff-retrected plunger provided with pawl-en -rz'itchet looking means, a coin-insertion slot yand a recess in the outer plete with a coin-chute leading between them f through said space, a stud-opening extending through both plates, n shield-plate removably covering and tting'in said recess and provided on its inner fece with a stud to project throu h said openin therefor into said space, an key-operate tumblers 'in seid space normallv engaging said stud.

14. The combination of a: box, for the purset forth, proylded with a spring-raised mged` cover cerrvmge locking-tongue and having an inner plate and en outer plate recessed on its inner face, s aid plates forming the front wall of the box with n space between them for coin-operated imechanism, e sp1-1n@r in the bottom of the box, e spring-presse catch for engaging said tongue, a spring-retracted plunger provided with lpawknndf ratchet locking means, e coin-insertion slot und en opening in the outer plate with a Coinchute leadin between them through sand space, e stu V- openingextendinv through both plates, a shield-plate remov: ily covering and {ittinglin said'opening in the outer plete and provided on its inner fece with a. ;Y

circumferentielly grooved stud to project through said o eningy therefor into seid sp'ace, tumblers. aving recesses in their free ends and pivot'ally supmrted in seid space to extend seid ends a jacent to the stud- 1', 

